Part 2
The little ape crouched tremblingly. Not so Tarzan, the man-child. Before him lay the deep waters of the little lake--behind him certain death! Tarzan had always hated water. He could not swim. But before the great beast had covered half her leap, Tarzan felt the chill waters close above him.
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Rapidly he moved his hands and feet. Soon his nose was above water. Sabor was intently watching. Tarzan raised his voice in the tribal call of distress. Presently fifty great apes swung rapidly toward the scene. Then Sabor disappeared quickly into the brush and Tarzan was assisted to dry land by some of his ape friends.
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Tarzan had early learned to form ropes by twisting and tying long grasses together. By constant experimenting, he learned to tie rude knots and make sliding nooses. Then, with painstaking practice, he learned the art of roping. He would catch some playfellow thus, to the other apes' unlimited amusement.
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To Tarzan the closed and silent cabin was always a source of never-ending mystery and pleasure. His own connection with the cabin had never been told him. Kala had explained vaguely that his father had been a strange white ape. He didn't know that Kala was not his own mother.
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The apes avoided the deserted abode. Only too well they remembered its deadly thunder-stick! One day Tarzan found the door, spending hours examining it and fussing with the hinges, the knob, and latch. Finally he stumbled upon the right combination--the door swung creakingly open before his astonished eyes.
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Tarzan slowly and cautiously entered. He saw three skeletons, giving but passing heed. The other contents riveted his attention! He opened chests, examining minutely strange tools, weapons, books, and clothing. Finding a sharp hunting-knife, he immediately cut his finger. A child's illustrated alphabet interested him greatly. Dusk was approaching.
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Tarzan departed, taking the hunting-knife to show his fellows. Suddenly a great form rose up--it was Bolgani, the huge gorilla! Tarzan knew he must stand and fight for his life. He met the brute mid-way in its charge. They rolled upon the ground in the fierce frenzy of combat.
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Tarzan in one hand still clutched the knife he had found in his father's cabin. Accidentally he turned its point toward the hairy breast. As it sank into its body the gorilla shrieked in pain and rage. Then Tarzan plunged the blade repeatedly and to the hilt into Bolgani's breast.
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The gorilla tore the flesh at the boy's throat and chest with its mighty tusks. More and more weakly the torn and bleeding arm struck home with the long, sharp blade. Then the little figure stiffened with a spasmodic jerk, and Tarzan, the young Lord Greystoke, rolled lifeless upon the ground.
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Far off the tribe heard the fierce challenge of the gorilla. It was soon discovered that Tarzan was missing. Kerchak, the king-ape, was strongly opposed to sending assistance. He had no liking for the strange little waif. But Kala was of a different mind. She fairly flew through the matted branches!
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Presently she came upon them under the brilliant moonlight--little Tarzan's torn and bloody form and beside it a great bull gorilla--stone dead. Rushing to Tarzan's side, Kala listened for a sign of life. Faintly she heard it. Tenderly she carried him through the inky jungle, back to the tribe.
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Many days and nights Kala sat guard beside Tarzan, bringing food and water in her mouth. She licked his wounds, thus keeping them clean. After what seemed an eternity to the little sufferer, he was able to walk once more. In another month he was as strong and active as ever.
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Tarzan was anxious to return to the cabin and continue his investigations of its wondrous contents. So early one morning he set forth alone. He found the knife, beside the bones of the gorilla. Entering, he closed and locked the door and then turned his attention to the picture books.
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The pictures caught his fancy most. One, of a little ape similar to himself, fascinated him mightily. It had a strange colored fur, for such he thought the coat and trousers were. Beneath the picture were these little bugs--B-O-Y. Under another picture the "bugs" appeared again--A B-O-Y AND A D-O-G.
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Long he puzzled; but slowly, very slowly, he learned. By the time he was fifteen he knew the various combinations of letters that stood for every picture in the little primer and in one or two of the picture books. He persevered for months--each time he came to the cabin.
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One day he found a number of lead pencils in a drawer. Scratching upon the table top with one of them, he was delighted to find the black line it left behind it. He attempted to reproduce some of the little "bugs" of his books. It was a difficult task.
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Repeated experiments taught him how to hold a pencil. Thus he made a beginning at writing. From then on his progress was rapid. His reason now told him he was of a different race from his companions. He was a M-A-N. He didn't know he could not speak man's language.
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On the day Tarzan established his right to respect, the tribe was gathered in a small natural amphitheater. Here, safe from interruptions, they celebrated victories. In the center was one of those strange earthen drums the anthropoids build for their queer rites, which men have sometimes heard but never witnessed.
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Tarzan, Lord Greystoke, is doubtless the only human being who ever joined in the fierce, mad, intoxicating revel of the Dum-Dum. This day the grisly rites marked the killing of a giant ape--a member of another tribe. Two mighty bulls laid the body before the earthen drum.
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They squatted there beside it as guards. The other apes curled themselves up to sleep until the rising moon should give the signal for the commencement of the savage orgy. For hours absolute quiet reigned. At length, as darkness settled upon the jungle, the apes commenced to bestir themselves.
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They formed a great circle around three old females, who, armed with knotted branches, began softly tapping upon the resounding surfaces of the drum, as the ascending moon silvered the treetops. Presently a wild rhythmic din pervaded the jungle for miles around. It rose to almost deafening volume.
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Kerchak sprang into the open space, threw his head far back and, beating his breast, emitted thrice his fearful roaring shriek. Other males repeated the horrid, blood-thirsty screams. Then began the mad whirl of the death dance. And Tarzan, sweat-streaked, muscular, glistening, was one of the wild leaping horde!
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The weird dance went on. Then at a signal from Kerchak the drums ceased. The males rushed headlong upon the thing which their terrific blows had reduced to a mass of hairy pulp. They now turned their attention to devouring their late enemy. The mightiest apes obtained the choicest morsels.
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Tarzan with his sharp knife slashed off a more generous portion than he had hoped for. Old Tublat spied Tarzan with the prize and wicked gleams of hate shot from his little eyes. Tarzan saw the great beast's purpose and leaped nimbly away--Tublat, however, close upon his heels.
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Swiftly he sprang. Gaining a lower limb, he climbed rapidly, followed closely by Tublat. Up, up he went to the highest branches, where his heavy pursuer dared not follow. There he perched, hurling taunts and insults at the raging, foaming beast fifty feet below him. And then Tublat went mad!
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With horrifying screams and roars, he rushed to the ground among the females and young, sinking his great fangs into a dozen tiny necks. Tarzan witnessed the whole mad carnival of rage. Now he saw Tublat dash toward Kala, his foster-mother. Tarzan dropped swiftly and faced the infuriated brute.
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With a roar of triumph, Tublat leaped. Tarzan plunged a keen hunting-knife a dozen times into him. The ape rolled to the ground. Tarzan, his foot upon the neck of his enemy, threw back his head and, beating his mighty breast, screamed out the fierce ape cry of defiance.
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The morning after the Dum-Dum, the tribe started slowly back through the forest toward the coast. The body of Tublat lay where it had fallen, for the people of Kerchak do not eat their own dead. The march was but a leisurely search for food. Once old Sabor crossed their path.
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This sent them scurrying to the safety of the higher branches. Tarzan sat directly above the lioness--and hurled a pineapple at their ancient enemy. Into his mind a great plan sprung. He had killed the fierce Tublat; now would he track down the crafty Sabor and slay her likewise!
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At the bottom of his little English heart bent the great desire to cover his nakedness with clothes. He had learned from his picture books that all MEN were so covered, while APES and every other living thing went naked. So he desired the skin of Sabor, the lioness.
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On this day he had other things to attract his attention. Suddenly it became as midnight. Faintly came a low, sad moaning. The great trees bent. Vivid and blinding lightning flashed from the whirling, inky clouds above. Roaring thunder belched forth its fearsome challenge. The deluge came--pandemonium broke loose!
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The tribe huddled in shivering fear from the cold rain at the bases of great trees. For hours it raged--ending suddenly. To Tarzan came a dawning light to explain the mystery of clothes. How snug he'd have been beneath Sabor's heavy coat! So was added a further incentive.
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Tarzan always kept his grass rope lasso in readiness when journeying through the forest, catching many small animals. At last came she whom he sought--Sabor, the lioness. Nearer and nearer--to where Tarzan of the Apes crouched upon his limb, the coils of his long rope poised ready.
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Like a thing of bronze sat Tarzan. Sabor passed beneath. Three strides she took. Then the silent coil shot out and settled about her neck. With a quick jerk, Tarzan snapped the noose tight about the glossy neck. She made a bound and fell upon her neck! Sabor was trapped.
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But Sabor had now found that it was only a slender cord that held her, and, grasping it in her huge jaws, she severed it! Tarzan was much hurt. His well-laid plan had come to naught. Sabor paced back and forth beneath the tree for hours, often springing at him.
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Tarzan mocked and danced above her, hurling twigs and branches at her unprotected face. At last he tired of the sport. With a parting roar of challenge, and a well-aimed ripe fruit that spread over her face, he swung rapidly through the trees a hundred feet above the ground.
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In a short time he was among the members of his tribe. And here he recounted the details of his adventure, with swelling chest and so considerable a swagger that he impressed even his bitterest enemies, while Kala fairly danced for joy and pride at her foster-son's bravery and prowess.
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Tarzan of the Apes lived on in his wild jungle existence with little change for several years, growing stronger and wiser. With Tantor the Elephant he made friends. On many moonlit nights Tarzan and Tantor walked together. All else of the jungle were his enemies, except his own tribe.
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At eighteen, Tarzan had never seen a human being other than himself. But as he sat one day in a tall tree, trying to solve the mystery of the cabin, the ancient security of his jungle was broken forever. _A strange cavalcade strung in single file over a low hill._
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In advance were fifty black warriors armed with wooden spears, long bows, and poisoned arrows. Then came several hundred women and children followed by more warriors. They were fleeing from the white man's soldiers, having massacred a white officer. They set to work to build a new village. Tarzan wondered.
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A month later it was complete, and they had taken up their old life in their new home. Several moons passed before they ventured far from their safety, for many had fallen prey to the jungle animals. But one day Kulonga, son of their old king, wandered far toward the west.
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Warily he stepped--his long shield grasped close to his sleek, ebony body. Night found him far from his father's village. He climbed into the fork of a great tree, fashioned a rude platform, and curled himself for sleep. Three miles to the west of him slept the tribe of Kerchak.
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Early the next morning, the apes were astir, moving through the jungle in search of food. Tarzan, as was his custom, prosecuted his search in the direction of the cabin. Kala, busily engaged, had moved slowly east, when the faintest shadow of a strange noise brought her to startled attention.
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Down the leafy trail she saw the stealthily advancing figure of a strange and fearsome creature. It was Kulonga. Kala moved rapidly back along the trail, seeking rather to avoid than to escape. Close after her came Kulonga. Here was meat! He could kill and feast well! His spear poised for the throw.
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The spear sped toward Kala. It but grazed her side! With a cry of rage and pain, the she-ape turned and charged. Instantly the trees crashed beneath her hurrying fellows--swinging rapidly to Kala's scream. Kulonga fitted a poisoned arrow, and drove it straight into the heart of the great anthropoid.
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With a horrible scream, Kala plunged forward upon her face before the astonished members of her tribe. Roaring and shrieking, the apes dashed toward Kulonga, who fled down the trail. None had ever seen a man before other than Tarzan, so they wondered what strange creature had invaded their jungle.
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Tarzan heard. He knew something was amiss. He found the entire tribe gathered jabbering about the dead body of his foster-mother. His grief and anger were unbounded. He roared out his hideous challenge, beat his breast, and then fell upon the body of Kala, sobbing out his lonely heart.
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After the first outburst of grief, Tarzan controlled himself and questioned the tribe concerning the killing of Kala. They told him of a strange hairless black ape with feathers on its head, who launched death from a slender branch--then fled with the fleetness of Bara-the-deer toward the setting sun.
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It was enough. Tarzan sped rapidly to intercept the black warrior. He took his knife and rope. He struck the trail and in the mud he found footprints such as his own--but larger. His heart beat fast! Could it be that he was trailing a MAN? One of his own race?
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Soon he came upon the black warrior. Tarzan looked with wonder. Horta, the boar, was charging and Kulonga shot a little poisoned arrow. Horta staggered and lay still. Kulonga cut several long pieces from the boar's body, built a fire, and ate as much as he wanted, leaving the rest.
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Tarzan was an interested spectator. He decided to follow further this savage creature, killing him at his leisure. When Kulonga departed, Tarzan of the Apes dropped and severed several pieces--but didn't cook them. He knew not the use of fire. So he gobbled down a lot of the raw flesh.
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And then Tarzan, Lord Greystoke, wiped his greasy fingers upon his naked thighs and took up the trail of Kulonga. In far-off London another Lord Greystoke--Tarzan's uncle--sent back his chops to the Club's chef because they were underdone, and when _he_ finished, dried _his_ hands on snowy damask!
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All day Tarzan followed Kulonga. Twice more he saw him hurl his arrows of destruction. Tarzan thought much on this wondrous method of slaying. He must look into the matter. That night Kulonga slept in the crotch of a mighty tree, and far above him crouched Tarzan of the Apes.
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When Kulonga awoke he found that his bow and arrows had disappeared. The black warrior was panic-stricken. He was defenseless except for a single knife. Now his only hope lay in quickly reaching his village. He took the trail at a rapid trot. Tarzan followed quietly in his wake.
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He was almost ready for the kill, but he was anxious to ascertain the black warrior's destination. Presently he saw it. As Kulonga emerged from the jungle a slender coiled rope sped above him. A quick noose tightened about his neck. Then Tarzan drew the threshing victim up into the sheltering tree.
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Tarzan fastened the rope securely to a sharp branch. Then, descending, he plunged his hunting-knife into Kulonga's heart. _Kala was avenged!_ He examined the black minutely--never had he seen another human being. He admired the tattooing, the sharp filed teeth. On himself he put the feathered head-dress, copper anklet, belt, and knife.
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Tarzan of the Apes was ravenously hungry. Here was meat, which jungle ethics permitted him to eat. His knife was poised to dismember Kulonga. Suddenly a strange doubt stayed his hand. He never before hesitated to eat of his kill, but was not this a man? Did men _eat_ men?
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Tarzan's instinct overcame his cannibalistic impulse. He lowered Kulonga's body and viewed the savage village, wondering over many features of this new, strange life. A woman directly beneath him stood over a small caldron, dipping arrows into a seething substance. He knew that this was the deadly stuff that killed.
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Tarzan wanted some of those little death-dealing slivers. He heard a wild cry from across the clearing, and saw an excited black warrior standing beneath the tree in which he had killed Kulonga, the murderer of his ape-mother, Kala. The fellow was shouting, waving his spear and pointing.
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The village was in on uproar instantly. Armed men raced madly toward the excited sentry. Tarzan of the Apes knew they had found the body of his victim. Quickly he dropped into the now deserted village and gathered some arrows. Entering a near-by hut, he saw many weapons _and skulls_!
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Tarzan made a pile of the hideous skulls. On the top skull he fastened the head-dress of Kulonga, the chief's dead son. Then he heard a mighty wailing and long, mournful howls. Quickly he disappeared into the foliage above, kicking over the seething caldron, after securing a supply of poisonous arrows.
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The natives filed up the street bearing Kulonga's body, taking it to the very hut in which Tarzan wrought his depredations. They came out in wild jabbering confusion. The awesome discoveries filled their hearts with terror. They conjured in their poor brains only the most frightful of superstitious explanations.
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It was a well-laden Tarzan who dropped into the midst of Kerchak's tribe. With swelling chest he narrated the glories of his adventures and exhibited the spoils of conquest. Kerchak was jealous of this strange member of his tribe. He sought some excuse to wreak his hatred upon Tarzan.
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A month Tarzan practiced with his bow and arrows. During this time he further investigated the cabin, and found the metal box containing his father's diary, some photographs, and a diamond locket. This took his fancy. He placed it about his neck, in imitation of the black men he had visited.
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When his arrows were gone, Tarzan renewed the supply, repeating his former pranks while the natives were enjoying a cannibal feast. They were filled with fear at this new manifestation of some unseen, unearthly evil power. Returning homeward, Tarzan encountered Sabor, the lioness, and sent an arrow into her.
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Removing the great pelt, he hastened to the tribe, who gathered to see this new proof of his wondrous prowess. Only Kerchak hung back--nursing his hatred and rage. Suddenly something snapped in Kerchak's brain. He sprang biting and killing among the assembly. "Come down, Tarzan," he cried, "come and fight!"
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Breathlessly the tribe watched as Kerchak, roaring, charged the relatively puny figure. Tarzan tore loose his knife and drove it into Kerchak--below the heart! They struggled along. Then the great body shuddered, stiffened--sank limply. Kerchak was dead. Thus came the young Lord Greystoke into the KINGSHIP OF THE APES.
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The apes were more than content with Tarzan as their new king. Food was more plentiful. He settled all their disputes wisely. Next he moved the tribe inland to a place undefiled by the foot of a human being. But he spent more and more time away from the tribe.
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He tired of the kingship and longed for the little cabin and the sun-kissed sea. As he had grown older, he found his interests were different from those of the tribe. He now preferred the peace and solitude of the cabin to his leadership duties among the band of wild apes.
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He had still one enemy. Before he renounced his kingship of the apes, Tarzan wished to subdue the ugly Terkoz without recourse to knife or arrows. Terkoz one day offended the tribal laws by beating an old female and defying Tarzan's command to stop. So came they to that well-remembered fight!
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Never had the ape-man fought so terrible a battle since that day when Bolgani, the king gorilla, had so horribly mangled him. But he won, though he did not kill his enemy. This time he spared, after forcing Terkoz to cry: "Ka-goda," meaning, "I surrender!" And all the tribe heard--and marveled.
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Tarzan let him up. Before darkness settled he called the old males about him. "Tarzan," he said, "is going back to the lair of his own people. You must choose another ruler. Tarzan will not return." Thus he started toward his goal, the finding of other white men like himself.
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Many days it was before Tarzan recovered from his victorious battle with Terkoz, the rebellious bull-ape. And then, one day, he had another encounter with three of the natives, emerging victor, taking their weapons, ornaments, and wondrous finery. The natives, now thoroughly frightened, believed him some unseen, terrible god.
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"Munango-Keewati," they called him, the evil spirit of the jungle, believing that those who looked upon him died. So the king ordered arrows and food to be placed just without the village to appease him. As long as they supplied him with these, they thought, he would not harm them.
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Tarzan was returning to the cabin. When he came in sight of the beach, a strange and unusual spectacle met his vision. On the placid waters of the land-locked harbor floated a great ship, and on the beach a small boat was drawn up. And men--like himself--were moving about!
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He crept closer, saw ten men talking loudly, gesticulating, shaking their fists. Presently a little man laid his hand upon the shoulder of a giant next him, pointing inland. As the big man turned to look, the mean-faced one shot him in the back, tumbling him forward--dead!
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The report of the weapon, the first Tarzan had ever heard, filled him with wonderment. Were such white men his brothers? Presently the men launched the boat, jumped into it and rowed away toward the great ship. Then Tarzan slipped back to the cabin. Everything had been ransacked!
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Tarzan saw his books and weapons strewn on the floor; his little store of treasures littered about. A great wave of anger surged through him. Ah--but the men had not found his tin box with its precious contents!... _What was that?..._ His quick ear had caught a faint but unfamiliar sound.
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